Natsurai

Bonus Attribute: +1 Strength

The Natsurai are the lords of the Akaishi Clan, descended from the Thunder-Voiced Lord of the Storm, and stand most often as heavy infantry and the bulk of their clan's military. They tend to be large and physically imposing, with craggy features, and their bushi are often quite scarred by their service on the Wall; many of these scars are unusually large or strangely shaped, having been created by bizarre and twisted Leechspawn, and Natsurai samurai often bear these openly with some degree of pride, as a testament to their continued survival.

In temperament, Natsurai samurai are typically highly practical, with little patience for niceties or excessive supposition. Their speech is often direct to the point of being unseemly, and their sense of humour is often quite crude. Natsurai seldom have much patience for talk when action is called for, which can sometimes be to their detriment. Like their patron, they often possess a booming voice, the better to shout information back and forth on the Wall, and the thundering sound of Natsurai samurai in uproarious laughter while off duty is said to frighten away some of the lesser servants of the Leech entirely.

Above all other considerations, Natsurai samurai revere their duty, and tend to resent things which distract from it or interfere with their adherence to it. Because a staunch Natsurai will cling fiercely even to duties that they openly find distasteful, their detractors will sometimes accuse them of enjoying their own suffering, but honorable samurai typically acknowledge Natsurai stoicism as a virtue.

Fujizuru

Bonus Attribute: +1 Agility

The Fujizuru are the closest servants of the Natsurai, acting most often as scouts, guides, skirmishers, and yojimbo for their clan. They tend to be tall, but are much less broad than their cousins, more often appearing lean and sinewy, and they have a strong reputation for physical quickness. Their facial features are often somewhat bland, and Fujizuru often fade into the background as a result.

The Fujizuru are somewhat more patient than their lords, and are often more soft-spoken as well. Fujizuru seek to be unobtrusive in their duties, doing what is necessary without comment, and often without being commented upon. Their speech and sense of humour tend to be more traditional than those of their Lords, but their tenacity in their duty is just as strong.

Ginkachi

Bonus Attribute: +1 Awareness

The Ginkachi serve most often as merchant patrons and diplomats, and remain the most distinct from their fellows, having joined the Akaishi Clan much later than the other Families. Physically they are often small and reedy, with narrow faces with pronounced eyebrows, and thin hands with long, slender fingers. They tend to have finer features than their fellows, and their men often cultivate facial hair that emphasizes the movement of the mouth.

In temperament, the Ginkachi are by far the most gregarious of the Akaishi, speaking effusively when given the opportunity. Their manner is by turns wheedling and provocative, and they make ample use of gestures in conversation, often emphasizing their motions with wide, ornamented sleeves.

The Ginkachi are among the most in-touch with the customs of etiquette, but they are also the most liable to turn to underhanded behaviour to serve their clan, taking Akaishi pragmatism even beyond the strictures of Honor. Their merchant patrons and diplomats employ high-pressure tactics without qualm, and more than a few of their number turn to smuggling or even piracy to help supply their clan.

Zaikufuu

Bonus Attribute: +1 Intelligence

The Zaifukuu serve their clan most often as engineers and strategists, and are the originators and maintainers of the Kuroyama. Physically they tend to be stocky, with broad faces and dexterous hands. Their hair tends to be thick, and their men often sport dense beards.

Zaikufuu are typically terse unless speaking about their area of expertise, and often prefer to listen and observe than to speak. Like the Ginkachi, the Zaikufuu are more conventional in demeanor than other Akaishi, though it isn't uncommon for their manners to be put aside for the sake of precision and expediency when on the subject of a Zaikufuu's projects.

Chikari

Bonus Attribute: +1 Perception

The Chikari provide the bulk of the Akaishi's onmyōji, and maintain the clan's mystical traditions. They tend to be slender of frame, with long limbs and slightly sinister faces, which they typically cover with elaborate, kabuki-like makeup. Though their hair is naturally dark, they often dye it a deep shade of red.

Chikari are typically both secretive and unsubtle, keeping close the dark knowledge their Family has gathered over the centuries while at the same time speaking openly and clearly about their duties in hunting down and rooting out Leechspawn and mortal blood-sorcerers alike. Chikari seldom baulk at stealth or deception in pursuit of these or other duties, and cultivate an intimidating reputation in an effort to cow others into compliance with their demands in the course of their hunt. They tend to have fewer social graces than even the Natsurai in this regard.

Like all Akaishi, Chikari are immensely attached to their duty, but where other Families make a distinction between on-duty and off, Chikari never really consider themselves off-duty, and consequently rarely make the same open displays of humor or cathartic behaviour as their cousins.